AC Boot Badge

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by morgy

How did you come to have 6120's chassis Tag...

The car was fitted with a new tag when the car was rebuilt. No apparent effort was made to mimic the original tag's text size or fonts.

The original tag AC Cars installed was sold to a private collector and memorabilia dealer. The dealer contacted me and asked if I wanted it for my holotype emblem collection.

f.y.i….I have not made a tabulation in a while but based on data I have collected, about 11% of the tags on Cobra (leaf spring chassis) chassis now (that originally had AC Cars tags) have some kind of replacement tag. Several companies and private parties have had replacement tags made for decades. Most of these aftermarket replacements are very obviously replacements if you know originals well.

One situation really clouds up the ‘original tag’ subject. When Ford and Shelby stopped buying AC Cars product, Shelby American ended up with dozens of blank chassis tags in all the black background photo etched versions used on Cobras and 427 Cobras. That was one AC tag and more than one Shelby version of Cobra racer or 427 Cobra tag. When Mr. Shelby ended his California operations for vehicles the tractor trailer loads of parts got scattered. Most of the chassis and coachwork parts got split up between two dealers. A least one person bought multiple sets of wheels, radiators, and other ‘big’ parts. One person managed to obtain what he described in person to me as a shoe box full of chassis number tags. That person use to advertise in the Shelby American Automobile Club monthly club publication. If you could prove that you owned a Cobra (1970s, masses of replicars were not out yet) he would custom stamp whatever you wanted on a shiny new old stock tag for a small fee. No surprise, he did a thriving business while supply lasted. This is how so many CSX2xxx cars before CSX2201 received genuine original tags with text(s) not quite like original. Cars CSX2201 and later got replacement tags for all kinds of reasons also including just getting a new pretty one.

[MAStuart]

Thanks Dan for all of your posts. You are as close as some of us are going to get to an original car.

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by MAStuart

Thanks Dan for all of your posts. You are as close as some of us are going to get to an original car.

You are most welcome. SAAC conventions are sometimes good places to get close looks at multiple cars at once.

[MAStuart]

Dan I have gone to a few convention over the last few years. Before those the last one was SAAC 18...…. Looks like a lot has changed over the years.

[1795]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

You are most welcome. SAAC conventions are sometimes good places to get close looks at multiple cars at once.

Dan,

Are you going to be at SAAC 44? I will be competing at Pitt Race in the Vintage Grand Prix with my Superformance FIA. Would be great to personally meet you if you are going to be there, and also to see your car.

Jim

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by 1795

Dan,

Are you going to be at SAAC 44? I will be competing at Pitt Race in the Vintage Grand Prix with my Superformance FIA. Would be great to personally meet you if you are going to be there, and also to see your car.

Jim

No sir, we are going to try and get to some of the more local events that we have been missing. i.e. get to events sponsored by clubs we are members of locally.

[morgy]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

The car was fitted with a new tag when the car was rebuilt. No apparent effort was made to mimic the original tag's text size or fonts.

The original tag AC Cars installed was sold to a private collector and memorabilia dealer. The dealer contacted me and asked if I wanted it for my holotype emblem collection.

f.y.i….I have not made a tabulation in a while but based on data I have collected, about 11% of the tags on Cobra (leaf spring chassis) chassis now (that originally had AC Cars tags) have some kind of replacement tag. Several companies and private parties have had replacement tags made for decades. Most of these aftermarket replacements are very obviously replacements if you know originals well.

One situation really clouds up the ‘original tag’ subject. When Ford and Shelby stopped buying AC Cars product, Shelby American ended up with dozens of blank chassis tags in all the black background photo etched versions used on Cobras and 427 Cobras. That was one AC tag and more than one Shelby version of Cobra racer or 427 Cobra tag. When Mr. Shelby ended his California operations for vehicles the tractor trailer loads of parts got scattered. Most of the chassis and coachwork parts got split up between two dealers. A least one person bought multiple sets of wheels, radiators, and other ‘big’ parts. One person managed to obtain what he described in person to me as a shoe box full of chassis number tags. That person use to advertise in the Shelby American Automobile Club monthly club publication. If you could prove that you owned a Cobra (1970s, masses of replicars were not out yet) he would custom stamp whatever you wanted on a shiny new old stock tag for a small fee. No surprise, he did a thriving business while supply lasted. This is how so many CSX2xxx cars before CSX2201 received genuine original tags with text(s) not quite like original. Cars CSX2201 and later got replacement tags for all kinds of reasons also including just getting a new pretty one.

Thanks Dan.. have you tried to contact the new owner to see if he would like the Original..

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by morgy

Thanks Dan.. have you tried to contact the new owner to see if he would like the Original..

No sir.